Otherside, A Tale of Silent Hill
by KiramidHead
Summary: Ernest Baldwin, the director of Brookhaven Hospital, must deal with intense guilt and journeys into the dark side of Silent Hill. This is based on documents found in Silent Hill 2 and MMY's theory about Ernest. Also on Rumbles Soap Op.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Ernest Baldwin, the seventeen-year-old heir to the Baldwin Mansion and estate, was sweating. He disliked gatherings, even modest ones, and being the center of attention didn't help. The Silent Hill Historical Society had refurbished one of its rooms and dedicated it to the history of Brookhaven Hospital. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a portrait of Ernest's grandfather, Dr. Nathan Baldwin, who had guided the hospital's conversion into a facility for psychiatric care in the first decade of the twentieth century. Mr. Finch, the proprietor of the society, wanted the young man to unveil the painting. Worse yet, he wanted Ernest to make a speech.

Finch was just finishing up with his overview of the history of Brookhaven and the Baldwin family. _He's quite fond of hyperbole_, Ernest thought. _My modest rhetoric should be a relief for the audienece after this bombast_.

"And without further ado, I present to you ERNEST BALDWIN!" Finch stepped aside for the young man to take center stage. The audience breathed a sigh of relief that the showman had finished. Finch had to be begged to move the ceremony from the society to the more commodius Artaud Theater, and his over the top performance was in compensation for that concessation.

Ernest stepped up, breathed deeply, and began: "I never met my grandfather, but I wish I did..."

The speech was brief but well spoken, and the small group of family friends and museum supporters drove back to the Society for the actual unveiling. Ernest did his duty, was polite to all the guests, shook all the right hands, and excused himself. As he entered the outer room, Ernest's attention was grabbed a painting on the far side of the room. It bore the poetic name "Misty Day, Remains of the Judgement" and was painted by the eccentric artist Richard Upton Pickman in the 1920s. The image it bore was inspired by descriptions of the executioners who used to inhabit the area in its days as a penal colony. Like all of pickman's work, it had a surreal quality. The executoner was shown in full regalia, including a pyramid shaped hood and ceremonial apron, bradishing a long spear in front of a misty backdrop.

The door to the other room opened, and his father stepped in. He saw Ernest contemplating the painting and spoke up: "This town has had a dark past, son. The things that happened here drove everyone a little bit mad. I think that's what your grandfather was trying to remedy at Brookhaven."

Ernest never forgot those words, and the executioner stayed on his mind for a long while. Years away at college and later medical school banished the executioner to the back of his thoughts. It stayed that way for seventeen years, until Amy brought it back to the forefront with a vengeance.


	2. Chapter 1: Amy

Chapter 1: Amy

November 1984

7:30 AM

The little girl came down to the breakfast table.

"Good morning, Daddy" she said, smiling.

It was the smile more than the words that warmed Ernest's heart. Six years ago, he had viewed her birth with doubt and uncertainty. But with time, that had all been replaced with unadulterated love for the child he had been forced to raise on his own. Post natal difficulties had taken away her mother, and now Amy was all he had. The only thing that saddened Ernest was that he had to be at the hospital so much. It hurt him to have to leave Amy for much of the day, but the housekeeper could see to her well being. Fighting the darkness his father talked about was too important.

"Will you be back after school today? I want to be awake when you get home, this time."

Ernest had forgotten it was his birthday. Working long hours was clearly taking its toll.

"I'll try, sweetie. But let's make a deal: I'll tell Mrs. Kramer that you can wait up for me, and sing Happy Birthday when I get home."

"Thanks Daddy." She got up from her seat and hugged him.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" The words rang in his ears and made him smile as he left for work.

-

5:15 PM

Ernest was putting finishing up his last bit of paperwork and putting everything order before he went home. It was early for him to leave,but he meant to keep his promise to Amy. Brookhaven Hospital was a dreary building, filled with many hopeless cases. When he first took the job as director, Ernest resolved to do everything in his power to cure these wretches. As the years went by, and he had been forced to give up on many patients, a little bit of himself died, and he lost faith in his power to heal illness. At first his wife, and then only Amy, allowed gave him the ability to believe in himself. That was why he had to make it back tonight, because Amy meant sanity.

He was about to leave when a sound of screaming from down the hall caught his attention. He could her the sound of a man yelling and a woman screaming, followed by the sound of a struggle. A nurse ran into the room.

"It's Wolf!"

Leonard Wolf was one of the incurables. He had been admitted to the hospital four years before after stabbing another person in an argument over religion. Wolf was as fanatical as they came. If he even so much as suspected a less than respectful attitude towards his beliefs, he would lash out with brutal violence. However, he was normally not a problem for the staff as long he wasn't provoked.

"What happened?", Ernest yelled as they left his office.

"His daughter came to visit him today, and he managed to throw himself over the table at her. Daniel intervened, and Wolf tried to bite his throat out!"

_Christ_, he thought. His best orderly was probably bleeding to death as they spoke.

"If the police haven't been called, call them!"

-

7:45 PM

Daniel had been killed, and it took six men to wrestle Wolf to the ground and get him back up to his room. He kept screaming at his daughter the whole time, calling her a "heretic" and a "dirty whore." The girl was too shaken to talk to the police when they arrived. That was probably why they kept Ernest so long. When they were finally done asking him questions, it was after seven. Ernest had to get all his paperwork back in order, and it was another twenty minutes before he was ready to leave.

The phone rang. It was Mrs. Kramer.

"Mr. Baldwin, there's been an accident. Amy-" He slammed the phone down and ran out the door.

_No, no, NO!_

The mansion wasn't far from the hospital, but Ernest sped all the way there. His thoughts were chaotic, and he could feel his world collapsing around him.

He only saw a body bag, but it was enough. The police told him that Amy had fallen, apparently from the attic window. But it didn't make sense, Amy had no reason to be up there.

_I should have been home. I should have been home._


	3. Chapter 2: Abyss

Chapter 2: Abyss

Ernest opened his eyes and saw fog. It was everywhere, engulfing everything. He could see nothing else, the world was white. But he could hear just fine, and what he heard sent shivers down his spine. He could hear a scratching sound, along with a light tapping like footsteps. It was getting closer.

_Scratch, tap. Scratch, tap._

Ernest ran, but no matter how far he got, he couldn't escape the fog. The sounds grew closer.

_Scratch, tap. Scratch, tap._

Then something changed. Ernest could see a dark shape ahead of him in the fog. He walked towards. It was a cage, suspended in midair. Inside it was a body, wearing dirty clothes, and a piece of paper attached to its face. Ernest leaned closer to read it:

_This man has been found guilty of the crime of negligence. Justice and revenge have been served._

Overcome by curiosity, Ernest tore the paper from the corpse. He staggered back. The face was his own. Ernest backed away, but then he heard something behind him.

_Scratch, tap. Scratch, tap._

The noise stopped just behind him. Ernest was paralyzed with fear, unable to turn around for several minutes, the sound of his breath his only companion. Breaking his paralysis, Ernest spun around, catching a glimpse of the executioner before it plunged its spear into his body...

It was always at that point that Ernest woke up. The dream had haunted him for a long time now.

September 1991

Ever since Amy's death, Ernest had become a shell of a man. He had gradually stopped caring about the patients, and hardly ever left his office when at work. When he was at home, he would lay on the couch in the upstairs lounge and stare at the ceiling. Some days, he would walk to the park and stare at the lake instead, but it all amounted to the same thing: Ernest Baldwin had withdrawn from life.

When came Ernest back from work one day on a cool autumn evening, he found David Finch waiting in his front hall. He was the son of old Archibald Finch, the founder of the Historical Society. Old Finch had died a few years back, and David had tried to keep the place running, but lack of funds had forced him close it down earlier that month. Ernest hadn't visited the place in years, and was honestly surprised by the visit. They exchanged greetings and moved into the living room.

"Dr. Baldwin, as you know, my father died four years ago and left his little museum to me."

"Yes, I was aware of that."

"Well, there's one thing you might not be aware of. In my father's will, he specified that if I were to close the museum for any reason, that I should sign over the deed to you, and only you."

Ernest frowned, unsure of what to think. "Was there any explanation given?"

David thought for moment. "Nothing was written in the will, but I think he had hoped you would keep the museum intact."

That explanation made sense to Ernest, and he agreed to accept the property. The next day they met again and signed all the necessary paperwork. David also handed over a package, along with a sealed envelope addressed to Ernest. After double checking all the paperwork to make sure it was in order, the two men went their separate ways. Ernest returned to the mansion and ate a small lunch prepared by Mrs. Kramer. He then retired to the library to examine his new property.

He opened the envelope first. Inside was an old fashioned bronze key, along with a letter from old Finch addressed to him. Ernest unfolded the letter and began to read.

_Dear Dr. Baldwin, __  
__I remember well the day you helped to dedicate my exhibit on your hospital. You were much younger then, and full of hope. I also remember hearing about the tragic death of your daughter, and I can only imagine how that made you feel. But now to the point: I believe this package may help you. Any questions left when you are done about can be answered at my museum. ___

_Archibald Finch ___

_P.S. The key opens the door to the museum. Keep it safe._

Ernest was unsettled by this. Something felt very wrong. He moved on to the package. Its sole contents was an old book with a strange title, _Lost Memories_. He opened the book, and hesitantly began to read. It was seemingly a history of the natives who lived in the area around Toluca Lake before the white man arrived, with a focus on their religion and rituals. Ernest was about to give up when he came upon a passage describing a certain ritual. Three words caught his attention: Resurrection of the Dead. He rushed out the door and headed to the historical society.

***

It was just after the sun had set when Ernest arrived at the Silent Hill Historical Society. The night had brought a chill with it, and he shivered as he approached the door. He inserted the key into the lock, and it made a loud grating noise as he turned it. Ernest glanced around as he entered the building for the first time in years. The front room was as bare as it had always been, the only ounce of color being a red memo pad on the front desk.

Ernest headed for the back room. He looked around, trying to ignore the picture of the executioner. Nothing was in there but paintings, and a glass case filled with historical odds and ends. Ernest examined these, but none of them appeared to be of interest. He turned and entered the next and final room, the one with the Brookhaven Hospital exhibit.

What he noticed first was the changes that had been made to the room since he had been there last. The portrait of Nathan Baldwin had been moved over into a corner, the wall it had occupied completely blank. In the middle of the room was a glass case. Ernest moved closer to examine its contents. All that was in the case was a black goblet, apparently made from obsidian or something similar. On the other side of the room was a strange picture. He got closer to get a better look. It showed a blank, undistinguished room, with a square hole in the center. The hole had no visible bottom.

A sharp pain shot through Ernest's head, and he clenched his eyes shut. When he opened them, the room had changed even more. Everything now had a decrepit, decaying to it, like the whole place was ready to collapse. But the most jarring change was the jagged black hole on a wall that was blank only moments before. He walked over to it, despite his fears. Ernest looked into the hole, and saw a ramp leading down. The he heard the voice.

_Daddy!_

It was Amy's voice, but wrong somehow. Ernest could feel the darkness almost seeping out of the hole.

_Daddy!_

The voice sounded off again, and a shape began to emerge from the darkness, even as Ernest backed away. As the shape came into the light, Ernest screamed in horror. It was Amy, but broken and twisted from the fall, crawling towards him. A single arm reached out to touch his foot. Ernest screamed again, and fainted. it was daylight when Ernest came to. The museum was normal, no hole was in the blank wall. Ernest ran, locking the door behind him as he left.


	4. Chapter 3: Joseph

Chapter 3: Joseph

April 1992

It had been over half a year since Ernest had fled the museum. Curiosity had brought him close to returning, but he could not forget what he had seen there. His fear would return, and all thoughts of entering the museum again were banished from Ernest's mind. He kept the bronze key in his office at the hospital, and he would often turn it over in his hands when he was alone there.

Ernest had largely kept to his routine since the incident, reviewing paperwork at the hospital, then withdrawing at home after his work was finished. He still planned to investigate the resurrection ritual Finch's book had spoken of, but his fear of what lay in the society kept him from returning there to research. He felt it was best to leave it alone until he found an alternative.

His routine continued until, one warm spring afternoon, the files of the new patients crossed his desk. Ernest's signature was required to approve admittance, but he had gotten into the habit of skimming the documents and then signing them. This time, however, a specific patient caught his attention.

_Joseph Barkin ___

_His illness seems to be rooted in the fact that he believes he is guilty of causing his daughter's death. His symptoms suggest a psychotic break and paranoid delusions. Normally calm, but has a tendency towards violence when excited._

Ernest read the first sentence again.

_He believes he is a guilty of causing his daughter's death_

The file went on to describe how Barkin's daughter Louise had died in a boating accident on Toluca Lake about a month previously. The girl had slipped and fallen into the water. Her father tried to catch her, but all he had caught were a few hairs, which had gotten snagged on his wedding band. Barkin had gradually withdrawn from his life, spending most of his time in Louise's room, looking at her hair, which he had kept in a box. Things came to a head one day when he sat down at the breakfast table and held a long conversation with his daughter as if she were in the room with him. Mrs. Barkin tried to snap her husband out of it, but he attacked her, almost killing her.

Ernest went through the rest of the paperwork more quickly than usual. He had to meet this man. For the first time in years, Ernest Baldwin was going to personally interview a patient.

***

"My Louise, she didn't die."

Joseph Barkin was a tall man, with dark hair and glasses. There was nothing distinctive about his face, but his expression was unlike anything that Ernest had seen in his long years at the hospital. He looked as if he were totally at peace with himself and the world. Joseph sat on his bed, holding his box in his hands. They were in Joseph's room on the third floor, S14.

"Then what happened to her, that day on the lake, Joseph? Where is Louise now?"

Joseph turned to look out the window. "She was taken, Dr. Taken to the land of fog. Taken to the otherside."

Ernest's hand squeezed the key in his pocket. The land of fog. Where he had gone in his dreams repeatedly.

"And you have seen her there?"

Joseph looked back at Ernest.

"Yes. I tried to follow her the first time, but I couldn't. Only I can see her there, but I can't go with her when she leaves."

Joseph began to cry silently.

As Ernest got up to go, a sharp pain sent shock waves through his head. The bronze key dropped to the floor as he brought his hands to his hand. It only lasted for an instant, but Ernest could have sworn he saw a little girl in damp clothes with ashen skin sitting next to Joseph on the bed. Ernest blinked, and the scene returned to normal. The otherside. He had to know more. He left Joseph's room, his mind contemplating this new development.

***

As the weeks went by, Ernest kept a close watch over Joseph's progress. He had worked with tools in his normal life, and Ernest discovered it had a calming effect on him. Because of this, he had allowed Joseph to keep a few tools in his room. Joseph had been kept under observation of course, sometimes by Ernest himself. It was at such a time that Ernest saw him construct a box. It was much smaller than the one he kept his daughter's hairs in, and was designed to be sealed shut with nuts and bolts.

Ernest made a search of Joseph's possessions while he was in the day room, and brought a wrench specifically to open the new box He was shocked by what he found there. Within the box was the museum key, which he must have dropped when he first interviewed Joseph. Ernest wanted to take the key back, but didn't. He somehow knew implicitly the key would be safer with Joseph than himself.

***

June eventually came to Silent Hill, and spring mellowed into summer. A day trip was arranged for the well behaved patients to Rosewater Park, to give some time outside of the hospital walls. Joseph was allowed to go with, and Ernest went to keep on an eye on him. He had seen that Joseph was bringing the box with him, and wanted to know what he had in mind.

The park wasn't particularly large, but on clear day, there was no more beautiful place in town. The hedges and flowers spoke of natural beauty, but the best part was the lake, especially when it reflected the setting sun. Joseph, however, was more interested in the statues at the park's interior. One commemorated the local civil war hero Patrick Chester. The other statue was more obscure. It depicted a woman from the previous century named Jennifer Carrol. There had been a religious dispute between zealous Christians and a local religion, only remembered through rumor. Carrol had belonged to the local group, and had been executed by the Christians because of it.

Joseph seemed most attracted to this second statue, but Ernest had no idea as to why. He watched Joseph move around behind the statue, box in hand. Ernest followed him, and saw him digging with his hands in the ground. Joseph was muttering to himself.

"Yes, the good lady will protect it."

Ernest watched as Joseph made a small hole, placed the box in it, and replaced the dirt over it. Joseph turned to look at him.

"Dr. Baldwin, I'm finished here. Can we go back to the lake now?"

They went back with the rest of the group, but they never spoke of what had happened at Carrol's statue.

***

Ernest continued his attempts to understand Joseph's "otherside" experiences. He _knew_ that it was somehow connected to his dreams and the thing at the historical society, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Joseph could see Louise when others couldn't, that much was clear. It also seemed apparent that he couldn't touch her, or go with her when the otherside receded. But what did that mean? Were Joseph's otherside, the foggy dreamscape, and the altered museum somehow the same place? That had to be it.

While contemplating the idea during one of his sleepless nights, Ernest remembered a passage from Lost Memories: the natives who had lived on the land that later became Silent Hill had called it the "place of silenced spirits." Could it be? Was he living on sacred ground where the dead could speak to the living? Something didn't fit. Ernest had no idea how something like that could work. Why had his daughter's spirit filled him with such fear, if she only wanted to talk to him? Why was Joseph not afraid?

Joseph had no more information, that was perfectly clear. Although Ernest was convinced Joseph's visions were real, he had become completely disconnected, and his psychosis kept him from being able to answer anything more clearly. In fact, since the trip to the park, Joseph had become even more withdrawn, and hardly even spoke now. He kept a diary, but his writing became increasingly nonsensical as time went on. Ernest was left to turn his new problem over in his mind, much as he had turned the museum key over in his hands.

One evening, Ernest decided to walk the short distance home from the hospital, so he could be free to contemplate without having to focus on the road. He turned the matter over in his mind as he walked. The pieces of this puzzle still didn't fit. It felt as if he had missed something, something that was hiding in plain sight. Ernest hadn't gotten far when the pain went through his head again, stronger than before. He grabbed his head, and his eyes and mouth clamped shut. The pain receded, and when he opened his eyes, Ernest saw a different town. Silent Hill had been engulfed in a fog thicker than Ernest had ever seen.

Cautiously, Ernest continued to walk towards his home. He was almost there when something drew his feet towards Rosewater Park. The park was as empty as the rest of the town had become. He felt drawn, drawn to the statue of Jennifer Carrol. He navigated through the twists and turns of the park, and what he saw there made him choke up. Amy was standing at the base of the statue. It was not a deformed mockery of the girl like he had found at the museum, this was her. She uttered a single word.

"Daddy."

Ernest threw himself to the ground and pulled the girl into a tight embrace. He cried for a long while.

Then something changed.

Amy felt different in his arms, and he was afraid to look at her. She spoke again.

"Daddy, come with me."

The voice was different, harsher. It sounded soulless.

Ernest mustered his courage and looked at the girl. What he saw made him gasp and push her away. While she was in his arms, Amy had turned into another Amy-thing. Her neck and limbs were twisted and broken from the fall.

"Daddy," it croaked.

He screamed and ran, ran until he was on his own doorstep, where he collapsed.

***

When Ernest came to, the fog had receded and the town was back to normal. He could hear the sounds of cars and people walking. Mrs. Kramer was looking down on him, with a disapproving eye, but she said nothing. She knew he still hadn't recovered from Amy's death. After getting a meal foisted upon him by the housekeeper, Ernest retired to the study. He wouldn't find Amy in the otherside, he knew that now. But how did Joseph's experiences factor into this? Ernest went over Joseph's paperwork again; he had kept copies at the house. One line leaped out at him, the same which had caught his attention in the first place.

_He believes he is guilty of causing his daughter's death ___

_guilty of causing his daughter's death ___

_GUILTY ___

_GUILT_

Ernest had his answers. The otherside was caused by guilt. Joseph found peace there. He would only find punishment. Ernest wouldn't find his redemption there; the otherside wouldn't make his dreams end. He turned to the book of Lost Memories. Its rituals were his only hope now.


	5. Chapter 4: Ritual

Chapter 4: Ritual

July 1992

Ernest had tried countless times to reopen the box old Finch had left him, but at every attempt he was reminded of the horror he had seen in the museum and later in that other world. Several months past, and Ernest hadn't gone back to work for most of that time, and spent most of it locked up in the downstairs study. He just couldn't handle being near the patients, especially Joseph, who had begun to remind Ernest of himself more and more each day. Finally, on a hot afternoon in the midst of the hottest summer Silent Hill had experienced on record, Ernest opened the book of Lost Memories and began to truly delve into its contents.

He came to the brief section that had pushed him to the museum those three long years ago. In it was discussed a ritual practiced by the native known as the Resurrection of the Dead. Unlike the rest of the book, which was quite scholarly in tone, this part felt very personal. In fact, the author began by proclaiming his own personal faith in the ritual. Ernest did not not know what to make of this, but what followed seemed even stranger and more cryptic:

_Upon the hill where __  
__the light descended, __  
__the Beast intoned his song. __  
__With words of blood, __  
__drops of mist and __  
__the vessel of night, __  
__the grave became an open field._

This strange verse was followed by a brief summation of the natives' views on death, and then book moved on to a different subject. The verse must have been the only trace of the ritual that this scholar could find. Ernest understood the last line as a metaphor for resurrection. The grave, a symbol of death, became a field, green with living grass. The remaining lines still puzzled him. He analyzed and reanalyzed the words, but could only come up with one connection, which he scribbled in the margins of the book:

Blood = Red  
Mist = White  
Night = Black

Colors. His only hope was in this book, and all Ernest had to go on was three colors. He was on the verge of despair. After a few moments, Ernest pulled himself back together and unpacked the other contents of the package.

They consisted of three more books. Two were just more history books, one of which specifically talked about the town's medical history and devoted a large space to Nathan Baldwin. Ernest shoved them to the side, but the final book made his heart race. It was bright red in color and titled _Crimson Ceremony_. He eagerly opened it to the first page.

_Speak __  
__I am the Crimson One. __  
__The lies and mist are __  
__not they but I. __  
__You all know that I am One. __  
__Yes, and the One is I._

Ernest almost jumped in his chair. He had solved part of the riddle. He had found the found the Beast's song, in a red book. These were the words of blood. The greater part of the poem was more monologue on this Beast's part, but the final verse held the most interest for him:

_Oh, proud fragrance of life which __  
__flies toward the heart. Oh Cup __  
__which brims with the whitest of __  
__wines, it is in thee that all begins._

The whitest of wine was the drops of mist! Ernest knew what he needed now. The incantations in this book, white liquid of some sort, and a black ceremonial vessel. He checked the list of the museum's collection and found the rest of the pieces. "White Chrism" was listed as part of a specific exhibit, as well as an "Obsidian Goblet." But then Ernest remembered. He had seen the goblet before, on that night in the museum. Ernest shivered at the memory. He would never go back there. He would find a way around it.

Over the next two weeks, Ernest traded calls with David Finch, asking about the White Chrism. David said he would try to locate where it was in storage, and then bring it to him as soon as possible. Ernest had assumed that this would be a quick job, but Archibald Finch had collected hundreds of items over during his years of running the museum, and many storage facilities had been utilized when the museum had to be shutdown, and now it seemed that David had to check every one of them.

Days past, and the White Chrism still hadn't turned up. Ernest paced up and down his small study, waiting impatiently. The phone rang, and he ran over to pick it up.

"Dr. Baldwin? It's David Finch. I've found the item you requested."

Ernest sighed in relief.

"Bring it to me as soon as you can!"

David spoke up:

"It won't be for another few hours. I found the damned thing, but the storage where it was kept is all the way out in Ashfield. I still have to sign some papers, but it's about a six hour trip back."

Ernest said good bye and hung up the phone. He returned to pacing, but his eagerness overcame him and he went to wait on his front porch. It was the first time in months that he had stepped outside of the mansion, and it was a clear day at that. The fresh air never smelled sweeter for Ernest Baldwin. He sat there on the front step even as the sun began to set. He watched the sky as it turned into vibrant oranges and reds.

But then it happened. The sharp pain shot through his head once again, and when it had receded, he opened his eyes to almost total darkness. The mansion behind him looked decrepit and rotten, but that was the least of his worries. Ernest could here the pattering of footsteps approaching him through the darkness. He only barely glimpsed the outlines of six of the short, twisted figures before he turned and ran back into his house. Everything had decayed on the inside as well, but he didn't have time to look at it. He heard the front door bang open behind him, and ran from the approaching footsteps. Ernest ran until he had reached his small study, where he locked the door behind him and barricaded it shut with books and furniture. He cowered in he corner. The things scratched and banged at the door, but couldn't get it open. Then the voices began. It was the voice of the Amy- thing, but many more of them were out there, calling to him.

_Daddy, let me in! __  
__Daddy, let me in! __  
__Daddy, let me in! __  
__Daddy let me __  
__Daddy let_

_DADDYDADDYDADDYDADDYDADDY  
_

"Stop! It wasn't my fault! Just go away! Leave me! YOU'RE NOT MY DAUGHTER!"

The voices stopped.

"Amy, forgive me."

Ernest Baldwin collapsed on the floor of the study, never to get up again.

But death wasn't the end for Ernest Baldwin.


	6. Chapter 5: The Damned

Chapter 5: The Damned

May 13, 1994

For almost two years, Ernest Baldwin's restless spirit wandered the halls of Baldwin Mansion. During that span of time, he watched. He watched as Mrs. Kramer discovered his body in the study, watched as it was taken away to be buried. He watched Mrs. Kramer leave the mansion for good four days later. He watched as the house fell into disuse. He watched, and wandered. Ernest soon discovered that he could not leave the building, the outside doors simply wouldn't let him pass. Something had to be done, but what? Ernest didn't know. But he did know one thing: He would still resurrect Amy, even if he was chained in the fires of hell, he would still bring his daughter back.

The ritual was the only way, but it was now impossible. David Finch had succeeded in locating the chrism, but how could he retrieve it from Finch's apartment if he couldn't leave his own house? The apartment was right next door. So close, yet so far. This simple fact frustrated him more than anything and brought him to despair. But then, one day in May, something happened that changed everything.

Ernest was wandering the house again. He came to the small lounge upstairs he used to frequent in life. While looking around the room, remembering all the days he had spent in their staring at the ceiling in the years following Amy's death, he began to think. He wondered for the thousandth time why Amy had been up in the attic that day. Then something hit him. The feeling was not unlike the headache he experienced when everything had changed around him three times previously, but something was different this time. He was struck with a vision, seeing bits and pieces that he didn't fully understand. He saw a young, blond haired man, and a brunette woman. Ernest somehow knew that they were named James and Mary and were also husband and wife. Then a series of disconnected images came to him: hospital beds, IVs, nurses, a vase of flowers shattering on the floor. Then one image came to him, more disturbing than the rest. He saw what like a pillow, a pillow with a face imprinted on it, an expression of agony branded onto it forever. He then saw James get out of his car and enter the bathroom at the observation deck just outside town. He saw James leave the bathroom, look out over the forest, then wander down the winding path into town.

The vision dissipated as quickly as it had materialized. Without even looking around, Ernest could feel that something wasn't right. He immediately went to look out the window. Everything was covered in fog, and he could she shadows moving around on the streets. He knew they were monsters, but he also knew they weren't his Amy monsters. They weren't after him. They belonged to this "James." His initial panic fled. After all, he had died two years ago. They couldn't harm him now. Ernest stayed in the room for close to an hour, wrapped in thought about this situation. Then the door creaked open.

Ernest hurried to the door and slammed it shut before it could open completely, catching a glimpse of the young woman who had tried to open it in the process. e turned the latch and waited.

"Is somebody there?"

She knocked.

"Open up."

She knocked again.

"Hello?"

Something about the voice unsettled Ernest, but he couldn't quite pin it down. He couldn't stay quiet, though.

"Go away. You're disturbing me."

The conversation went on for a while. She asked him every question he could have imagined, and then a few more. No, she couldn't come in. Yes, he knew about the monsters. No, he didn't care. Yes, he wanted to be alone, even in a place like this. Then she said something that made him pause.

"My name is... Maria. What's your name?"

Maria. Something felt off about this woman, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maria knocked on the door. Ernest responded.

"Ernest."

"Hemingway."

Even in death, Ernest found that last bit amusing.

"Baldwin."

"Ernest... I'll be back."

After he was sure she was gone, Ernest unlatched the door, and then retreated to the study downstairs, and the small bedroom that adjoined it. He had always found that it was easier to think in those two rooms, and he had a puzzle to unravel. He turned everything over in his head, and one thing struck him as important. James's wife was named Mary, and this woman was named Maria. He didn't think they were the same person, but they were definitely connected.

Some time later, he heard footsteps coming down the nearby staircase. There was no latch on the outer door to the study, so Ernest locked himself into the bedroom instead. He heard the study door open, and then someone began knocking at the bedroom door. He instinctively knew it was Maria.

"Do you know a little girl named Amy?"

Ernest was shocked and taken aback by this, but stayed calm.

"Why do you ask me this?"

"This letter 'TO MY DEAREST DADDY'... It's from a girl named Amy Baldwin." She paused. "You're Daddy?"

Ernest had a hard time speaking.

"Yes. Where did you find that?"

"Up in the attic."

Ernest would have cried if it were still possible. After all these years, he finally knew why Amy was up there that day. She was preparing a birthday surprise for him when the accident had happened. The birthday she was looking forward to celebrating with him. The birthday he promised he would be home for.

"Maria, that letter..."

She slid it under the door. With the letter was a birthday card, addressed to him. He thought about Amy, then about Mara, standing outside the door. He knew what had to be done.

"Maria. In the apartment next door, there is a bottle containing a white liquid. I don't know exactly where it is, but I know it's in there somewhere. I must have it."

"You want me to get it for you?"

"Please..."

"That's alright. I don't mind fighting for an impossible cause."

She left, and Ernest tried to put the pieces together again. Maria. Mary. James. It all came back to James, didn't it? Then it him. James. Mary. A hospital. The pillow. James coming to Silent Hill alone. This Maria person showing up. He realized what James has done, realized that James was trying to deny it. Didn't the town produce an Amy for Ernest? It could produce another Mary for James. A Maria. The implications were too frightening to contemplate. But he realized something. He couldn't be like James. He had to move on. Ernest could feel it. He could leave the mansion now, leave life behind. But he had something to do first.

When Maria finally returned, he could sense that she had the chrism with her.

"Thank you, Maria. That's the only item I couldn't get myself. So long... Maria, the Gods are here. You know it too. You were born in this town."

"I'm not sure "God" is the right word."

"Do you believe in fate?"

"Not really."

Ernest sighed.

"That's fine then."

After a few moments of silence, Maria spoke again.

"So... What if I said I had believed in fate?"

Ernest knew hat he was doing. He knew she wasn't exactly real, but he wanted to help her. He wanted to give her a chance.

"That James, he's a bad man."

"Yes... I know."

She knew what she was now, at least partially. Ernest spoke again.

"He's looking for the you that isn't you."

"Because he's kind. Ernest, do you... know something?"

Ernest started to speak,

"Yes... Maria, you're..."

But he didn't need to say anymore. He could sense that Maria could now grasp her true nature. Ernest unlatched the door, then left. For the first time in two years, he left the mansion. He would soon leave the world of the living, but first he would try to help this James as well. Although he was horrified by what James had done, Ernest still recognized how much James was like him. They had both lost loved ones, and they both longed to find them again. He would guide James to the materials needed for the ritual. He would make it possible for James to find a second chance in life, which he himself had strove for but never found. And when James had all the items necessary, Ernest would cross over. Whether it would be to heaven or hell, Ernest didn't know. After all he had gone through, it seemed rather unimportant.

THE END


End file.
